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Consistent behavior of a good team leader in the study included: monitoring project progress at reasonable intervals (not making team members feel they were being monitored personally), monitoring own work and frequently reporting progress on the leader’s tasks, consulting team members on their ideas and using them, acting as a champion for the project (selling it throughout the organization), gathering useful technical and tactical information and informing the team, and recognizing good work and giving credit in public settings.
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Consistent behavior of an ineffective team leader in the study included: micromanaging the work by narrowly defining assignments; constantly inquiring about individual progress, and trying to direct people’s work; not championing the project or serving as an information-gathering ambassador for it; and rarely recognizing good work, and when done, doing so in a private – rather than public - setting. Micromanaging subordinates, kowtowing to upper management, and the negative monitoring of team members created ill will and angered team members.
The May 15, 2004 issue of CIO magazine contained an article by Patricia Wallington on leadership called The Ties That Bind. Four success factors for an effective leader are: •
Get the big picture. Don’t miss the forest for the trees.
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Keep your finger on the pulse. Make sure things are moving in the right direction, but don’t get personally involved in the detailed transactional level.
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Focus on what is important. Set priorities and concentrate on the key issues and initiatives.
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Treat time as the enemy. Control your time. Set limits and boundaries on what you do and with whom, and stick to them.
In the June 2004 edition of the Harvard Business Review, Peter F. Drucker has an article titled What Makes an Effective Executive. The eight practices are summarized below: •
They asked: “What needs to be done?” – They did not ask: “What do I want to do?” The one or two top urgent tasks are identified and addressed.
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They asked: “What is right for the enterprise?” – They didn’t ask: “What is right for the owners, the stock price, the employees, or the
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